Spatially dynamic recurrent information flow across long‐range dorsal motor network encodes selective motor goals

Abstract

Performing voluntary movements involves many regions of the brain, but it is unknown how they work together to plan and execute specific movements. We recorded high‐resolution ultra‐high‐field blood‐oxygen‐level‐dependent signal during a cued ankle‐dorsiflexion task. The spatiotemporal dynamics and the patterns of task‐relevant information flow across the dorsal motor network were investigated. We show that task‐relevant information appears and decays earlier in the higher order areas of the dorsal motor network then in the primary motor cortex. Furthermore, the results show that task‐relevant information is encoded in general initially, and then selective goals are subsequently encoded in specifics subregions across the network. Importantly, the patterns of recurrent information flow across the network vary across different subregions depending on the goal. Recurrent information flow was observed across all higher order areas of the dorsal motor network in the subregions encoding for the current goal. In contrast, only the top–down information flow from the supplementary motor cortex to the frontoparietal regions, with weakened recurrent information flow between the frontoparietal regions and bottom–up information flow from the frontoparietal regions to the supplementary cortex were observed in the subregions encoding for the opposing goal. We conclude that selective motor goal encoding and execution rely on goal‐dependent differences in subregional recurrent information flow patterns across the long‐range dorsal motor network areas that exhibit graded functional specialization.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Mar 08, 2018
Source ID
10.1002/hbm.24029

Entities

People

  • Bradford A. Moffat
  • Maureen A Hagan
  • Nicholas L. Opie
  • Peter E Yoo
  • Roger J. Ordidge
  • Sam E. John
  • Terence J. O’brien
  • Thomas J. Oxley
  • Yan T. Wong

Organizations

  • Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
  • Monash University
  • National Health and Medical Research Council
  • Office of Naval Research
  • University of Melbourne

Tags

Readers

  • Brain and Cognitive Science; Experimental Psychology; Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology and Genetics
  • Neural Network Machine Learning.